Sports

Simone Manuel Makes History — But Not For Her Medal Count

Simone Manuel is the first African-American woman to win gold in an individual Olympic swimming event.

Simone Manuel Makes History — But Not For Her Medal Count
Getty Images / Adam Pretty
SMS

This is Simone Manuel.

And this is her new gold medal.

The U.S. Olympic swimmer made history after winning the 100-meter freestyle.

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She's the first African-American woman to take gold in an individual swimming event.

The 20-year-old Texas native swims for Stanford University. And sprint races are her thing.

She helped her relay team win silver in the 4x100-meter freestyle.

After securing the gold she told reporters: "I'm super glad with the fact that I can be an inspiration to others and hopefully diversify the sport. But at the same time, I would like there to be a day where there are more of us, and it's not Simone, the black swimmer."

This video includes images from Getty Images.